State Rep. Kathleen Clyde (D-Kent) today called on Secretary of State Jon Husted to restore illegally purged Ohio voters to the rolls and count the vote of any voter who should never have been purged in the first place. Yesterday, Husted ended negotiations with voting rights advocates and filed a motion in federal district court seeking to keep purged voters off the rolls and to continue to throw out the ballots of the wrongly purged.

“Over the past five years, under Husted, Ohio has led the nation in purging voters from the rolls. That's not on accident. That's on purpose. And the court caught him. And like so many other GOP officials across the country who want to tip elections in their favor, Husted is still refusing to make things right even after he was caught red-handed,” said Rep. Clyde.

“One month ago today, the federal court found Husted guilty of illegal purging, yet he still has not restored these voters to the rolls. And, worse, he is trying to order the county boards of elections to keep them off the rolls and throw out their ballots even if they were wrongly purged. This is shameless behavior that endangers our democratic process,” said Rep. Clyde.

On September 14, the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Husted acted illegally when he purged more than 1.2 million voters from the voting rolls. The remedy phase is underway in federal district court. The motion filed yesterday by Husted can be found here.

State Rep. Kathleen Clyde (D-Kent) today introduced House Bill 637, the Ohio Future Voter Act, which would allow 16- and 17-year-olds to pre-register to vote. Under the bill, pre-registered Ohioans would automatically be added to the state voter rolls before the next primary or general election in which they are eligible to vote.

State Rep. Kathleen Clyde (D-Kent) today announced her new plan to close secret money loopholes, increase transparency and strengthen the ban on foreign money in Ohio elections with new legislation, the Ohio Democracy is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Elections Act, or DISCLOSE ACT.

State Rep. Kathleen Clyde (D-Kent) today announced the release of over $1.23 million in state funds for various area projects, including improvements at the Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED), Kent State University (KSU) and Camp Ravenna.